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Ask the Name Lady

Babies named Abcde?

Someone I know just named her baby girl "Abcde." What do you think of that???
- Julie

Someone you know? Not just someone you heard about? I'm just asking because reports of babies named Abcde outpace real Abcde's by a mile.

That said, this name is not just an urban legend. There are some real Abcde's out there, ranging from babies to young adults. The name is pronounced AB-si-dee, and it seems to be exclusively female. You'll find Abcde's most often in Latino families and in creative-naming outposts like Hawaii and New Mexico.

You can think of Abcde as an extreme version of Nevaeh (heaven backwards, pronounced neh-VAY-uh). It features the same element of wordplay, though without the religious aspect, and it seems to appeal to some of the same parents. Unlike Nevaeh, though, the name has a fatal flaw. No, I'm not talking about the lack of vowels or the fact that the name regularly makes "worst baby name" lists. That's just a matter of taste. Abcde has a concrete, practical problem: It sounds fake.

For every real live girl named Abcde there are dozens using the name as a placeholder or a pseudonym. At presstime, Facebook listed 861 members named Abcde, including Abcde Fghijk, Lmnop Abcde, and Abcde Edcba.

Get the picture?

For a glimpse at the potential problems faced by an Abcde Smith, talk to any John Doe. Yes, there are real men with that name, and they endure endless hassles. The New York Times recently reported on one Mr. Doe's struggles with skeptical landlords, airport security agents and even prospective dates. An Abcde might not face that level of trouble, but it's still a burden other names don't bear.

If you're drawn to wordplay, I'd say stick to the anagrams. Traeh, anyone?

I'd love to see you talk about other urban legend type names, like Shithead. Sure there has to be a few out there, but does everyone and their mother REALLY know one, or know of someone who taught one, etc?

I've heard of a girl name Female, because on her paper work at the hospital they didn't have a name yet, so it read Female 'Smith' or whatever. So the parents went with it. But they pronounce it Fa-mall-ee.

I was named Abcde ( by my dad ) in 1966, and I have always loved it. Many people I have met have also liked the sound (abb-ced-dee) my daughter and my brothers daughters also have Abcde as a middle name- kind of a family tradtion. (the 4 of us are Canadian)